It is likely that this long-awaited verdict will cause huge outrage in this Balkan country.
The judges stated that H. Thaci, who was tried together with three other former partisan leaders, is guilty of illegal detentions, torture, killings, and cruel treatment carried out by partisan fighters.
A huge crowd gathered in the capital of Kosovo, watching the trial of the man many consider a hero live on big screens.
After the verdict was announced, the crowd fell silent, and many appeared shocked by the decision, as his supporters had spoken for weeks about a possible acquittal.
H. Thaci’s comrades, former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Jakup Krasniqi (Jakup Krasnikis), Kadri Veseli (Kadris Veselis), and Rexhep Selimi (Redžepas Selimis), were also found guilty and sentenced.
J. Krasniqi was sentenced to 25 years in prison, R. Selimi received 13 years, and K. Veseli 18 years imprisonment.
The court stated that all four were criminally responsible for the arbitrary detention and torture of hundreds of people and 96 murders.
However, they were acquitted of charges of crimes against humanity.
The court also noted that H. Thaci, K. Veseli, R. Selimi, and J. Krasniqi “significantly contributed” to a common criminal purpose during the Kosovo conflict, aimed against alleged opponents of the KLA’s political and military objectives.
H. Thaci resigned from the presidency and surrendered to the court after charges were brought against him in 2020. Since then, he has been held in custody in The Hague, and his detention time has been counted towards his sentence.
“Sad, unfair”
For many in Kosovo, H. Thaci and the KLA are symbols of the independence movement.
After the war, H. Thaci remained a key political figure and played an important role in declaring independence in 2008.
Throughout the trial, photos of the 58-year-old man, who also served as prime minister, frequently appeared on large billboards across the country.
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“A terrible verdict for Kosovo, for our war of liberation. It is a sad, unfair, undeserved decision,” Kosovo’s foreign minister Glauk Konjufca told journalists outside the court.
Hoping for a possible release of H. Thaci and the other accused, huge crowds of Kosovars gathered in Pristina over the weekend, and on Wednesday, before the verdict was announced, hundreds again gathered in the capital, counting down the minutes to the decision.
But when it became clear that the former president would remain imprisoned, the square almost emptied within minutes.
Controversially viewed
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), although based in the Netherlands and composed of international judges, was established under Kosovo law specifically to try suspected crimes committed by KLA members during the war.
Before the court was established, previous cases in Kosovo mostly collapsed due to alleged witness intimidation and political interference.
The court has been very unpopular since its inception, and the use of evidence presented by Belgrade, which still refuses to recognize the independence of its former province, further fueled accusations of political bias.
Prosecutors throughout the trial sought to separate the country’s struggle for independence from the defendants.
They claim that all four men are responsible for crimes committed against prisoners at KLA detention sites in Kosovo and neighboring Albania, as well as politically motivated killings of Serbian, Albanian, and Roma civilians.
The crimes were committed during the Kosovo war, which claimed about 13,000 lives, and immediately after it.
In response, the men’s lawyers argued that the KLA did not have a strict command structure, and senior officials could not control or be held responsible for fighters who committed crimes.
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